"
"I think I was a Currency Ass to come on board of her!"
reflected Mac.
"Well, I never said she was seaworthy," replied the
captain; "I only said she could show her blooming heels
to anything afloat. And besides, I don't know that
it's dry rot; I kind of sometimes hope it isn't.--Here;
turn to and heave the log; that'll cheer you up."
"Well, there's no denying it, you're a holy captain,"
said Mac.
And from that day on he made but the one reference to
the ship's condition; and that was whenever Tommy drew
upon his cellar. "Here's to the junk trade!" he would
say, as he held out his can of sherry.
"Why do you always say that?" asked Tommy.
"I had an uncle in the business," replied Mac, and
launched at once into a yarn, in which an incredible
number of the characters were "laid out as nice as you
would want to see," and the oaths made up about two-
fifths of every conversation.
Only once he gave them a taste of his violence; he
talked of it, indeed, often; "I'm rather a voilent
man," he would say, not without pride; but this was the
only specimen.
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